"I have no idea where the guest rooms are located," Ann whispered to Grace immediately after they climbed the stairs, and she was sure they were alone.
"There you were, acting all high and mighty! For a second there, I actually almost thought you were the real daughter of this house!" Grace scoffed as she led Ann to another wing of the house.
"I don't want a room too far from mine, and It'll be nice if I can have access to some of my clothes. Just tell them you want to change your wardrobe and would like to polish me up to the taste of the Jiang family," Grace said as she checked the room.
Ann nodded in agreement. If, eventually, she ended up returning to her own body, she would love her body to be pretty and well taken care of, just like Grace's body.
"I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you earlier. I understand that this situation might not really be easy..." Ann started before she was interrupted by Grace.
"I hope you remember that the next time you speak to me recklessly," Grace said and turned to see Zoe, who stepped in at that instant glaring at her.
"How dare you talk to my sister in that manner? Sis, why are you tolerating all this from her? Why were you apologizing to this arrogant and low life of a person?" Zoe asked angrily. She felt like blowing up.
"It's really not what you think. I really was rude to her," Ann said, trying to calm Zoe down.
"I don't care if you were rude to her. She had no right speaking to you in that manner. You employed her, and you're doing her a favor," Zoe said, moving towards Grace.
"I demand an apology this instant. Apologize to my sister for being rude to her," Zoe demanded.
Grace couldn't remember a time in her life when she had ever had to use the words "I was wrong. I'm sorry." She would rather bite her tongue than render apologies to someone, but she knew that was exactly the apology Zoe was waiting to hear. It was funny that Zoe was practicing everything she had taught her on her.
"I'm sorry," She managed to mumble.
"Is this your idea of an apology? And shouldn't you be kneeling when doing that?" Zoe asked cocking an eyebrow.
"That's a bit too much, don't you think?" Ann asked Zoe.
"That's exactly what you would have demanded from her had you been your normal self," Zoe said without taking her eyes off Grace.
"Zoe is right. Whatever your name is, I'll suggest you do exactly as she says," Mrs. Jiang said from the doorway as she entered the room.
Grace swallowed the lump in her throat as she went to her knees. "I'm sorry, Miss Grace, I was wrong," She apologized with her head bowed.
To Ann's amazement, Grace knelt on the ground. She just couldn't understand this family, no matter how hard she tried.
"I'm not angry, Ann. I'm sorry you're being embarrassed this way. I--" Ann paused when her phone started ringing. She took it out of her purse to know who it was, and she quickly excused herself from the room when she realized it was Tae-Joon.
"Are you ready? I'm on my way," Tae-Joon told her.
"Sure. I'm waiting," She assured him before going to her room to freshen up. Grace was their daughter and sister, and she wasn't going to be worried about whatever they'd decide to do to her. They were all reaping from the fruit of their own wickedness.
So assuming the situation was reversed, that was how they were going to treat her? They really made it impossible for her to feel sorry about the whole situation.
"Who are you, and what do you want from my daughter?" Mrs. Jiang asked Grace with malicious eyes.
"Mother, I think Dad shouldn't have allowed sis to employ this riffraff. You won't believe what I just heard her say to sis," Zoe told her mother without taking her eyes off the intruder.
Grace, who knew her mother very well, didn't know what to say at that moment. "I'm sorry. I'll be more mindful of my language henceforth," She managed to say.
"I'll keep my eyes on you. If I so much as notice anything fishy, I'll personally make sure you disappear off the Earth's surface," Mrs. Jiang promised before leaving.
**********
"Why did you allow Grace to do something so stupid as employing such a lowlife person?" Mrs. Jiang asked her husband the moment he entered their bedroom.
Chairman Jiang looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face as he wondered how his wife must have treated their daughter, mistaking her for a stranger.
"She wanted a personal assistant, and she chose one. What's wrong with her choice?" He asked her as he took off his clothes.
"She looks too unrefined for my liking, and from what I heard from Zoe, she is mannerless and keeps trying to push Grace around," She complained as she walked up to him to help him take off his socks.
"If your problem is her looks, then we can easily fix that. As for her manners, I'm sure she'll learn to behave properly as time goes on. Just let her be, please," Chairman Jiang pleaded, kissing her forehead.
"Why couldn't we just hold a job interview? I'm sure there are better people who are most suitable for the job," Mrs. Jiang said again.
"Let it go, darling. You know Grace isn't feeling too well. If she says this is the person she wants, then please let it be," Chairman Jiang told her again as he took his towel to the bathroom.
"You also agreed to having her live under the same roof with us? What if she murders us in our sleep?" She continued stubbornly.
"Then we can at least say we died in our sleep. That isn't such a terrible thing. Stop thinking of nonsensical things. Where is Grace?" He asked, going into the bathroom.
"She is out on a date with Tae-Joon. Don't say I didn't warn you, honey. If anything goes wrong, I'll be waiting by the side to tell you, 'I told you so,'" She promised before leaving to supervise the maids in setting the table.
The only good thing about Grace's accident was her interest in Wang Tae-Joon. This would definitely make things easier between both families. She thought with a shrug.
**********
'Why hadn't she just sought out her parents and told them the truth the moment she woke up and realized she was in a different body? They would possibly have believed her, right? Why had she allowed everything to come this far?' Grace asked herself as she lay on the bed, thinking of the ill-treatment she had received from her own mother and sister.
"Where are you?" She texted Ann. She didn't want to leave her room lest she bumps into her mother by the hallway. She was really very hungry and needed to eat.
A light tap on her door startled her. Who was it this time? She really wasn't emotionally prepared for any drama with her family. Another tap reminded her that she was yet to open the door. She quickly rushed to the door and opened it.
"The Chairman wants you to join us for dinner," The maid said politely.
"Can't I just have my food brought in here?" She asked the maid, who simply shook her head before walking away.
She needed to change from this lowlife outfit she was wearing into something more befitting, and she needed her shower gels and shampoos. She quickly looked around the hallway to make sure no one was around before dashing for her bedroom.